Scott McTominay's 15-word statement shows huge problem Man Utd have
Scott McTominay's statement concerning the "sacrifice" every Napoli player made on route to their stunning Scudetto triumph shines a light on the ongoing problems at Manchester United. Eyebrows were raised when academy graduate McTominay was sold for roughly £25million last summer, much to the frustration of then-Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag.
Yet, few could have predicted the impact the Scotland international would have in Serie A. The 28-year-old's 12 goals and six assists, as well as his decisive play, have seen him become a talismanic figure through the centre for Antonio Conte's side.
He topped off an already unbelievable campaign with an acrobatic strike to open the scoring in a 2-0 win at home to Cagliari that sealed them an unlikely league title in their final game.
In the wake of this success, the ex-Red Devil and Serie A MVP spoke about what made his winning cohort special. His revelation about the fight and sacrifice made by each player is a far cry from anything shown by those who currently figure under United head coach Ruben Amorim, and raises deep concerns over the disaster consuming Old Trafford.
"The sacrifice that every single player in the group has put forward to the cause," McTominay highlighted post-match about his Napoli team. "I'm lost for words. It's incredible.
"The people deserve it because they've been behind us from day one, and for me to come and experience this is a dream."
Since the midfielder departed Old Trafford, Ten Hag has been shown the exit door, and Amorim has been installed as head coach. Yet, a change of fortunes has not arrived with the Portuguese.
A record-breaking dreadful league campaign means that with a single match remaining, the highest the Red Devils can possibly finish is 14th, while they could also end up in 17th just above the relegation zone. They have won just 10 top-flight matches from 37 attempts this season.
The Europa League final offered the squad a chance to redeem the dismal campaign, but a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao on Wednesday sealed the club's fate and meant that there will be no European football at Old Trafford next season for the first time since 2014/15.
Much has been made of Amorim's mediocre side and a lack of commitment and fight when faced with adversity, as they were in Bilbao, and McTominay's comments after he departed his boyhood club – only to immediately win a league title – indicate exactly what is missing in Manchester.
Sacrifice in Naples earned a league title. A lack of such sacrifice under Amorim saw a European trophy slip away, and only a handful of league games have been won.
McTominay's further likening the Scudetto-winning experience – alongside another former United man in Romelu Lukaku – to a "dream" is particularly indicative of just how far the 13-time Premier League winners have fallen.
He also told BBC Scotland earlier in the campaign that, away from Old Trafford, the fans, coach, and cohort at Napoli provided him with an ideal opportunity, and one he'll be thankful he took up with the way things have developed under Amorim in his absence.
"I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players, and I saw an opportunity," admitted McTominay. "I took it, I didn't look back. It didn't take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted, and I'll never have any regrets in my life.
"As soon as I put my mind to something, I want to do it, that's it. There's no holding me back. I love this place, I love the fans, I love my team-mates."
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